For Your Own Good
by Little Acorns
Summary: The girl Albus Dumbledore spent his life protecting from the dangers of magic is thrust into the centre of the Wizarding world, and to a life that circumstance dictated for her. Please Review. SSOC, DMBZ.
1. Chapter 1

The Unveiling of a Secret

Meg was a normal girl. Not normal as in ordinary, mind you, as she was undeniably gorgeous, with long blone hair, and large blue eyes, and a figure that made her one of the 'popular' girls at her school, St Martin's College, where she studied sculpture. Meg was one of those girls to whom people were drawn. And yes. Meg knew this, and she was known to play it up on occasion. Butit never hurt anyone, so what was the harm? Meg was never without a boyfriend, and never with the same boyfriend for more than 4 weeks at a time. Meg grew up with her normal life, in her normal suburb, taking everything at face value, and surrounding herself with friends who were just as blonde and popular as she was, though not quite as beautiful, if she did say so herself.

Up until her 18th birthday, her only exposure to Wizards had been some music and the Harry Potter series. Of course, that changed dramatically. It had to, obviously, or there would be no point to this story.

She'd been sitting in her room, listening to some music (The Horrors), while she packed to go to her fathers house (In Manchester), and putting on some make up, when her mother emerged, looking paler and more worried than usual. Meg watced her enter the room with her brow furrowed. The woman was blonde, her hair holding more of an ash tone than Meg's near platinum colour. The woman was normally placid and happy, with twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face. Today, however, the woman looked older. More distressed.

"Mum? Whats wrong?" Meg asked.

Her mother looked up and started stuttering. "Well, um, its… you see, um.."

Meg had little patience for stuttering. "Mum. Out with it."

"Ok, well, you see, your grandfather is not the person you believe him to be."

Meg grinned. "I know. I found out he wasn't really the Captain of the 31st brigade."

"No, Meg. It's more than that. Eustice Maxwell isn't your grandfather at all." Excuse me? Meg looked at her mother in disbelief, as the older woman watched her daughter for a reaction.

"Well, hell." Meg said. "So exactly who is he then?"

"Meg, your grandfather is a man called Albus Dumbledore." Her mother said seriously.

There was a pause before Meg burst out laughing. "Oh, nice one mum! I was worried there for a minute. Albus Dumbledore! That's freakin hilarious!"

"But Meg, I'm not joking!" Her mother looked panicked at the prospect of Meg not believing her big news. Like she was expecting a freak out, and nothing else would placate her.

"Mum, Albus Dumbledore is a fictional character in a series of books. The man does not exist." Meg said, standing up and straighening her clothes. She was dressed in the height of Trendy Indie fashion, each article of clothing accentuating her long thin body.

"Meg, He's here to meet you. There's very important things he needs to discuss with you." Her mother said, standing up and opening the bedroom door, revealing the old man himself, in all his white-bearded glory, eyes twinkling in the hallway light.

Meg stopped chuckling instantly.

"Holy crap. You're serious, aren't you?" she said.

"Oh, very." Albus said, speaking for the first time. "I'm afraid something rather important has come up."

Meg stared blankly at the old man-her grandfather- before snapping out of her shock. "I'm sorry, but, um, before we start discussing this 'important buisness', do you think someone could maybe explain what the hell is going on here?"

"Oh, of course. How rude of me. I do rather apologise. Perhaps a spot of tea, Bernadette?" Albus said, turning to Meg's mother, who nodded, and bustled off in the direction of the kitchen.

"Shall we?" Albus said


	2. Chapter 2

A Secret Explained

Once they were all seated at the kitchen table with a steaming cup of tea clasped firmly in their hands (Milk and two sugars or Meg, lemon for Bernadette (Meg's mother) and milk and three sugars for Albus.) Albus began to explain the entire situation, after some subtle prompting from Meg.

"So, how exactly are you my grandfather then?" Who needs subtlety anyway?

"Well, your mother is my daughter in the normal way." Albus said.

Meg shook her head. "Well, I had that much figured. I meant how is a character from a book able to have a daughter and a grandaughter?"

Albus held out his hands. "Well, obviously I'm not a fictional character then."

Meg resisted rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Ok then. Let me please rephrase my question. How does the books factor into your real life? You know? The series? Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone? Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? Harry potter and the Prisoner of Askaban? Harry Potter and the Goblet-?"

"Meg, he gets your point." Meg's mother interrupted. Meg looked apologetic.

"Well." Albus took a moment, thinking of just how to explain. "The books are, for all intents and purposes, true. The author is actually the wife of an ex-Hogwarts student. She was incredibly interested in the Potter's story, and came to me asking if she could possibly publish a book in the Muggle world about it. I, natually, agreed, and thus the stories were written, and given out to the general public, where I gather they have been incredibly succsessful." Albus chuckled at that.

Meg was enthralled." So, everything that happened in the books exists? Magic is real?" Her eyes sparkled at the prospect of actual real magic.

"Oh yes, my dear. The books are quite real. Well, for the most part. A few things were changed, evidently, as neither myself or others, are dead." Albus pulled a sweetie from nowhere, and popped it into his mouth cheerily.

"So, why have I never met you before? Why can't mum do magic? Or can she? Can I do magic? Why didn't I know about any of this before?" Meg was pumping out the questions now, desperate for information on this entirely new world presented to her.

"Well, let me explain to you, Meg." Albus said. "When you were born, an attempt was made by Lord Voldemort to destroy your family. Your mother was a squib, and your father was a muggle, but you showed great promise, magically. I believe Lord Voldemort would have made it a priority of his to kil off m family, and leave me a broken old man."

"Mum? You're a squib? How did Albus Dumbledore's daughter end up being a squib?" Meg asked.

Bernadette smiled calmly, looking uncannily like her father at that moment. "Your grandmother is a muggle, Meg. It was always a chance of me being a squib. Everyone was astounded when you turned out to have magic, actually, with your father being a muggle as well."

"Oh man. So I can do magic? Why haven't I realised before? And why didn't I get a letter for Hogwarts?" Meg asked with a slight pout.

"We had to mask your magic to sucsessfully hide you and your family from Voldemort. When he was destroyed by Harry 17 years ago, a few of us were hesitant to believe he was gone for good, and so your mother and I decided that we would leave you here safe in the muggle world, rather than raise you in th Wizarding world where it would be easier for Voldemort to find you in the even of his return." Albus looked serious now, as did Bernadette, and Meg realized somethig.

"So, why are you here talking to me now about all this? What's happened?" she asked.

"Our efforts were in vain, my dear. Your magic grew too strong for it to go undectected, and we have had information that Voldemort has begun to track ou down again. So, I'm here proposing that you come with me to Hogwarts where we can protect you as best we can, hopefully without arousing too much suspicion as to wh you really are." Albus explained to her.

Meg was still for a moment. "Go to Hogwarts 'cos Lord Voldemort is after me?" She thought for a moment. "Won't some random teenager showing up at Hogwart's be just as suspicious as me staying here? Cos it's a tad too coincidental, you know? You have a grandaughter who's 18, and suddenly this witch with no knowledge of magic at all shows up a Hogwarts for no apparent reason just as Voldemort gets on her trail?"

Albus looked at her with an odd expression on his face. "Oh, you won't be showing up for no apparent reason."

Meg raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Oh really? And pray tell, why will I be there?"

"Why my dear, you'll be the spouse of someone on staff. Someone who can protect you, and train you in private to control your magic."

Meg's eyes went wide. "Spouse? You mean, get married? Are you mental?"

Albus chuckled. "There have been speculations, my dear Meg, but so far al we have is my word that I am not."

"Look, I know you mean well, but I am not getting married! I think I'll stay here and brave it, if you don't mind." And with that Meg stood off and stormed off towards her room.

As she lay on her bed she thought about her life. She'd never met her grandfather before, so the revelation that he wasn't her grandfather wasn't really that shocking. But she liked her life here! She liked her friends, and the countless drunken hook-ups and the flings she enjoyed with the boys around the place. Her life was innocent, and sure it was a little superficial, but it sure beat going somewhere where there was a war raging. She'd read the books, and this war was not pretty. But on the other hand, she'd be able to do magic! Real magic, and meet all the people she'd read about over the years that she'd come almost to consider friends. Hell, she knew more about Harry Potter's life than she knew about most of her friend's lives. And what if Voldemort really was after her? What if he found her? Knowing how to protect herself just a little bit magically would help, not to mention her mother.

She lay on the bed for what must have been an hour, if not more, going over the many pro's and con's of going with Albus.

Eventually she came to a decision though. She walked downstairs, her black leather knee high boots making hardly any noise on the stair carpet as she walked.

Her mother looked up from her conversation with Albus, and the old man turned around to look at her too. "So, have you reached a decision yet?"

Meg took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'm going with you. But there are stipulations. One, My mother has to come too. Two, I get my own wand. Three, I still be allowed to practise art, and get my own space for it. Four, I don't have to join in the war if I don't want to. I'm not being lazy, or condoning what Voldemort's doing or anything, but I have an idea of what the war is like, and I don't particularly fancy dying by some random Death Eater who's bored. Ok?"

Albus grinned and clapped his hands. "Excellent my dear girl. Shall I pack quickly for you then?" the old man moved to go past Meg up the stairwell, when her hand shot out and stopped him.  
"Albus? Who am I marrying?" she asked.

Albus grinned again. "Severus Snape, my dear girl."


	3. Chapter 3

A Quick Trip to the Cauldron

Silence buzzed in Meg's ears for a few seconds after that. "Excuse me?"

"Severus Snape. The Potions Master." Albus said happily. "It was either him or Sirius Black."

"Ooh, Sirius Black? I always thought he was so dreamy." Bernadette said.

Meg turned to look at her mother "Dreamy, mum? Don't you have anything to say about me marrying some crabby old Potions Professor?!"

Bernadette blinked at her daughter. "Why? Severus is trustworthy, and loyal. And he's not that old."

"Well, how old is he then?" Meg demanded.

"32."

A beat. "How is that not old?!"

"Oh, Meg, if you think 32 is old then I must be positively ancient!" Her mother exclaimed.

"Mum, I just turned 18 last week. How is the thought of me marrying a 32 year old not weird at all?"

Bernadette sniffed in a dignified way. "Its for your own good."

Meg huffed. "Well, its not like I actually have to like him or be affectionate or anything, right?"

A pregnant pause filled the room.

"Right?" Meg scrambled for some confirmation.

"Actually.." Albus said slowly.

"Oh you're kidding!" Meg said.

"Well you see, Hogwarts is filled with student who are reporting back to their parents with everything they see, many of whom are Death Eaters. If Severus Snape suddenly turned up with a young wife who he didn't seem particularly attached to, or who seemed to dislike him, it would be very suspicious indeed. So, we're going to have to ask you to please act like you wanted to get married and that you actually love him around everyone you come into contact with."

"I hate you all." Came Meg's muffled voice from where she was attempting to smother erself with a cushion.

Albus was magically done packing Meg's things in a matter of minutes, and came downstairs to find Meg on the phone to a school friend.

"Cass, guess what? I'm going to England! Yeah, I know! My grandfather's taking me. I dunno for how long. I might miss the dance. Or, I could find a nice English boy and come to the dance with him. Yeah, I'll look for one for you too. Tell everyone I said sorry for not telling them, but I don't have much time. Yeah, you can have Sid. Sure. Look after Tony for me though. Yeah, and give Maxxie the biggest hug from me, and tell him I'll miss him. Yeah. Ok, Anwar too. And its up to you to make sure Chris stays clean. Well, cleaner. Yeah. I have to go now Cass! Yeah, love you too! Bye!"

Albus looked slightly daunted at the phone call he'd just overheard. The girl was a talking machine!

"Are we ready then?" Meg asked, hands on her hips. She'd wisely changed out of her flimsy dress and into some jeans that it seemed she was using as a second skin they were so tight on her, and a long sleeved black shirt. She looked much older in these clothes rather than the bright pink dress she was wearing before.

At least there could be no worries when he told Severus about his upcoming marriage based on looks alone.

However, Severus would probably kill him anyway. Oh well, nothing to be done now.

During these thoughts, Meg was talking to her mother.

"So you'll come in a few months then?"

"Yes. I just have to pack up here, and I have my job, and I need to sell the house, and tell your father about everything. I might miss your wedding though, but I'm sure it will be lovely. Now you go with Father, and I'll see you when everything is sorted out here. I love you."

"Love you too mum."

Meg turned and took Albus' outstretched hand. "Ok, what do we do?"

"You hold on to me, and stay balanced. We're going to apparate to The Leak Cauldron, where we're meeting Severus, and then we'll shop for you to get some supplies. From there we'll go bak up to Hogwarts, where, if everything goes to plan, you and Severus can be married."

"Ok then. Apparate away."

So Albus did, and Meg yelped as she felt a most unusual sensation. Suddenly there was a lurch, and Meg found herself in a dingy looking pub, and she looked around, getting her first taste of the Wizarding world.

* * *

"Dumbledore!" a cheery man from behind the bar called out.

"Ah, Tom! How are you today?" Albus replied, striding over to the bar.

"Good, good. I saw your boy Snape earlier. He's gone upstairs. Now, who is this with you then?" Tom asked.

"This is Meg. She's Severus' fiancee. Meg, this is Tom." Albus grinned at the look on Tom's face.

"Really now? And how does someone like Snape end up with such a lovely thing for a fiancee?" Tom was addressing her now.

Meg smiled. "Well, its his innate charm. I'm a sucker for a cynic."

Tom looked as if he didn't know of she was being serious or not, but before he could comment any further, Albus was speaking.

"Tom, could you please send a butterbeer up for me, and, Meg? What would you like?"

"Um, do you have a coke?" she asked. She received blank looks. "Um, can I have a tea please?"

"Of course my dear. You're in room 3, Albus." Tom said, beginning to prepare the drinks.

Meg and Albus walked up the stairs, and found room three. Meg found herself somewhat nervous at the prospect of meeting her future husband, and quickly fixed her hair before Albus knocked on the door.

"Enter." Came a remarkably silky voice. Meg likened it to Guinness. Smoky, a little harsh, dark, and smooth. Awful when its cold, and heaven when its warm. Although, one should only drink room temperature Guinness. Never actually warm.

Meg looked into the room and saw Severus Snape for the first time. He was dressed remarkably well, compared to how she imagined him in the books. His hair wasn't really greasy, just thick, and his 'hooked nose' and so on really was exaggerated in the books. It seems Rowling was taking creative licence in Severus' appearance. The man was tall, and thin, with long elegant fingers. He had piano player's hands. He was dressed in a 'muggle' style, with black jeans that were faded and a little tattered on the ends, and a black button up shirt that was untucked and unbuttoned a little at the top. The only wizardyness about him was the cloak that was draped over the back of his chair. His hair was straight, but a little windblown, and the man looked good. Well, he looked good in the same way that Hugh Laurie looked good when playing House on the show. He was a bastard, and all that, but he had that mysterious appeal that all bastards seemed to have.

Meg was adept at checking out guys and judging their looks in a matter of seconds, and so she hadn't received any strange looks or anything, but as she sat down, and Severus smirked at her she remembered. Oh god. These guys could read minds. Oh god.

Severus was still smirking at her now. Actually, his smirk was getting bigger. Meg took her mind back to a particularly ridiculous memory she had when she was younger with Cass and Michelle at a sleepover, when they were watching tacky 80's movies and doing girl talk. In a matter of seconds Severus had looked away scowling. 'Yeah, teach you to look in my head!' Meg thought. When Severus looked up again, it was Meg's tun to smirk.

Albus watched this exchange with a smile, feeling somehow proud of the both of them. And even if this marriage failed in a securiity measure, it would be interesting to watch anyway.

"So, Albus, are you going to introduce the girl, or should we continue to sit in silence?" Severus spoke again.

"Oh, of course! How rude of me! I do apologise! Severus Snape, this is my Grandaughter Megan Doulton. Meg, as most call her. Meg, this is Severus Snape, Potions Master, and Head of Slytherin House at Hogwarts." Albus said, still smiling.

"Hi. Nice to meet you." Meg said, smiling at the man.

"Pleasure." Severus said.

"Now Severus, I have a very important task for you. While you may not like it, I beg you to please agree to do this for me. It regards the safety of Meg here." Albus said to Severus, looking very serious now.

"And what task it that, Albus?" Severus asked, leaning back in his chair, and crossing his arms. The man had been at a loss for things to do since Voldemort had actually thought to read the Harry Potter series and had realised that Severus was actually a spy. The man had only just escaped alive.

But now here he was, getting another mission. Whatever it would be, Severus would do it.

Meg on the other hand knew exactly what the mission was. "Are you serious? You haven't even told him yet?"

"Told me what? Albus, for Merlin's sake, what is the mission?" Severus didn't like not knowing things like this.

"Well, As you know, Voldemort had been after Meg in the past. And now, it seems, he has started tracking her down again, and so we have to take precautions to keep her safe. This means hiding her at Hogwarts. But, the sudden appearance of a girl who fits the exact criteria of my grandaughter will not go unnoticed, and so we need a reason for why Meg will be at Hogwarts."

"And what does this have to do with me?" Severus asked impatiently.

"Well, spouses of Hogwarts staff are entitled to reside at the castle."

"Albus, you can't be serious."

"And you would be able to teach Meg here, and train her properly to defend herself."

"Albus, no."

"So you see, everything will work out perfectly."

"Albus, you do realise that I am nearly 15 years older than your grandaughter."

"Of course I realise that, Severus, but you are the only one I would trust in this situation. Please, Severus. This is my grandaughter." Severus had never seen the Headmaser look so helpless.

"Fine then. Explain to me everthing."


	4. Chapter 4

A Plan and A Ploy

Meg gaped. The man had given in so easily! Where was the fight?

"Oh, come on! That can't be it!" Meg protested.

Severus turned to look at her. "What can't be it?"

"That! You just said yes so quickly! He barely had to try!"

"I agreed to help a friend by keeping you alive by whatever means he deemed necessary. If that means being married to you, god help us all…"

Suddenly Meg's attitude changed entirely. "What? You think I'd make a bad wife? Fine, just you wait. I'll be the best freakin' wife you've ever had!"

Severus rolled his eyes as Albus chuckled.

"Albus, tell me exactly how you want me to go about this mission." Severus said, as Meg glared at him from the corner of the room.

"Well, I wish for the two of you to act as a legitimate married couple. Act like you honestly love each other, and wanted to get married. Act like this around everone you meet, other than myself. This includes just in public, as you never know who may be watching, and whom they might report to. Any incongruencies between our story and your actions will be most telling to Voldemort should he hear of them." The old man summed up for him.

Severus was pale. "Act like we're in love? Me and her?"

"Well, yes Severus. What did you think this would be?"

"I thought it would be a marriage in name only. How are we getting married then?" The Potions Master asked.

"Well, you could have it here in Diagon Alley, or at St Mungo's in the chapel?" Albus suggested. "Meg? What do you think? We have't heard from you in a while."

"I don't particularly care. Either place. But, um, how far are we going with this marriage ploy?" Meg asked.

"All the way, my dear. Why?" Albus responded.

"Because whatever place we get married at are probably gonna wonder why I'm getting married in jeans and a shirt, and black no less. Especially if we wanna seem like we're actually planning on getting married. And we have no rings, or friends, or a photographer."

"Why on earth would we need a photographer?" Severus sneered.

"We need a photographer because all loving couples want the happiest day of their lives recorded for them to look back on over the long years of their life." Meg countered.

Severus sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it Albus, she has a point. Couples are hopelessly sentimental."

Albus mused on this for a moment, and then nodded. "Very well. Wait here, I'll bring you a photographer." And then he was gone in a multi-coloured swirl of robes.

* * *

Meg and Severus sat in silence for a moment before they realised one of them should probably speak.

"So, we should probably find out stuff about each other then, huh?" Meg said.

Severus grunted in agreement.

"Ok. Um.. Whats your favourite colour? Is it green?"

Severus looked up at her. "Why would you think its green?"

"Well, Head of Slytherin and all that." Meg said.

"Are you a muggle?" Severus asked bluntly.

"What?"

"Muggle. Are you one?"

"No! Well, apparently not. But I never knew I was magical before, until Albus told me. He said my magic had been masked, or whatever. I think he wants you to teach me to do magic." Meg said conversationally.

"How do you feel about getting married?" Severus asked.

"I'm not sure really. He says it's to protect me and all, and that's great, but I kinda always hoped I'd be in love with the person I was marrying. No offence." Meg said.

"None taken. Did you have a boyfriend before all this?"

"Yeah. His name was Tony. But he was a bastard. I was gonna dump him anyway. See, he wanted to stop me from hanging out with Maxxie, who's my best friend. He was jealous of Maxxie, which is stupid, cos Maxxie's gay anyway, so its not like anything would have happened. I think if Maxxie hadn't been gay I would like to have married him." Meg spoke. Then "Have you ever been in love?" she asked Severus.

"What?"

"In love. Have you ever been?"

"Yes."

"Ooh! Tell me everything."

"I think not."

"Oh come on! I'm your fiancee. I think I have a right to know about my future husband's past love. What went wrong?"

"What makes you think anything went wrong?"

"Well, you're not with her now, so it stands to reason…" Meg shrugged.

"She fell in love with someone else." Severus said after a moment.

"Oh. Is she still with him?" Meg asked.

"She died. 17 years ago. So did he."

"Oh. That's awful, Sev. How did they die?"

"They were killed by the Dark Lord."

"Oh god. This whole world is fucked up."

"Indeed."

They sat in silence for a minute before the door opened again, and Albus walked into the room, followed by a skinny boy with sandy coloured hair and a camera around his neck, looking at both of them in shock.

"I have you a photographer." Albus pronounced.

"Creevey?" Severus sneered.

"Hello Sir." The boy squeaked.

"Mr Creevey, this is Meg. I assume the Headmaster has told you why you're here."

"Yes sir. You're getting m-married. Sir, you want pictures." The poor boy looked terrified.

"How much would it cost us for pictures?" Meg asked, trying to calm the boy.

"N-nothing m'am."Creevey squeaked again.

They stood in silence again, until Albus moved to the door.

"Severus, will you go and get some rings? Meg, you and I will find you some suitable clothes, and Colin, would you please meet us in a hour at the St Mungo's Chapel?"

The three younger people nodded mutely, and grabbed coats and robes, ready to move out. "Meg, Severus, would you like a moment alone?" Albus asked, his eyes twinkling mischieviously.

"If you wouldn't mind, Albus." Meg said. Albus smiled and ushered Colin and himself out, and shut the door.

Meg turned to look at Severus. "What do we do about kissing and stuff? How affectionate are you normally?"

Severus looked at Meg like she was crazy. "Not very."

"Hmm. Well, I'm usually very affectionate. Oh well, I'll do what I do, and you do what you do, ok? But don't act disgusted or that really will give everything away."

"Agreed." Severus said, looking a little anxious now.

They walked out the door, and Meg grabbed Severus' hand.

"Ok, Al. Where to?" She asked perkily.

"Well, that depends, do you want a dress, or robes?" Albus asked her.

"Oh, a dress please. I don't think I could handle robes just yet." Meg scrunched her nose up.

"Very well my dear. This way then, if you please." Albus guestured to his right.

"Cool." Meg said. She turned back to Severus. "See you in an hour sweetie!" and rose on her toes to give the man a quick peck on the cheek, and then skipped off with Albus.

* * *

Severus was acutely aware of people looking at him, and he promptly fixed them with his worst glare. They looked away quickly.

He turned to walk away, when he saw Lucius and Draco Malfoy standing before him. Lucius had a smirk on his face, and Draco had an eyebrow raised.

"Severus? Who was that delightful creature?" Lucius asked. Severus smirked back at the blonde man who had been one of his oldest friends.

"My fiancee." He said simply.

Lucius's face slipped into an expression of shock, while Draco just gaped.

"Fiancee? Sev, why didn't we hear about this before?" the younger boy asked.

"Because she wasn't my fiancee before. And I had no intention of telling anyone until we were married."

"Well, when are you getting married? When can we see Spinner's End become a family place?" Lucius asked.

"Hopefully never. She's going to live at Hogwarts with me. And we're getting married in approximately an hour, if you must know." Severus smiled at his friend's expression. "Would you like to come along? I'm sure she'd be thrilled to meet you both. She hardly knows anyone from here."

"We'd be honoured to come along. We're meeting Narcissa and the Zabini's in ten minutes at Gringotts though. Do you mind terribly if Raoul and Blaise came along too?" Lucius asked.

"Not at all, Lucius. I was headed over there myself in any case." Said Severus, thinking of their other schoolfriend.

"So, what's her name then?" Draco spoke up.

"Meg. Well, Megan, but she goes by Meg." Severus said, as the three began to walk towards Gringotts.

"And how long have you known her?" Lucius asked.

"A year, give or take." Said Severus evasivley.

"And how old is she? She looked about Draco's age." Lucius continued asking.

"She's 18. Scandalous, no?" Severus smirked.

"Incredibly. What will the 'Prophet' think? The headlines alone.." Lucius laughed.

"We're hoping to keep it out of the papers, Luc. She'd become a target." Severus said seriously.

"Oh, and why is that?" Lucius had stopped laughing now.

"Her mother is a squib, her father is a muggle, and she was raised as a muggle. She barely knows any magic, doesn't own a wand, and today is her first trip to anywhere in the Wizarding world."

"Sev! You're lucky you aren't a spy anymore, or the Dark Lord would kill you! Do you know how much I'm gonna have to lie now when he asks me what I know about her? And you know he will." Lucius looked exhausted at the mere thought of it.  
"I know. Just speak to Dumbledore about what to say. He'll help you out." Severus turned to look at his friend. "Please make sure he does't get her, Lucius."

Lucius nodded at his friend, as they stood out the front of Gringotts. "You know I wil."

They walked into Gringotts silently, and a goblin dressed in a very expensive looking pinstripe suit walked over to them. "Hello Sirs. My name is Von Grimm. How may I be of assistance?"

Lucius spoke. "Withdrawls. Vault 29 and Vault 15, isn't it Severus?"

Severus nodded and handed over a small gold key. Lucius did the same, and the goblin bowed respectfully and ushered them over to a carriage. "Draco, you wait with your mother for me, shall you?" Lucius said to Draco. Draco nodded, and headed off in the direction of the lobby.

The long trip down in the vaults was made in silence, and Lucius' withdrawl was completed in record time, with the blonde scooping a few handfuls of galleons into a pouch and climbing back in the carriage. Then they were on to Severus' own vault, where he too grabbed a few handfuls of galleons, and turned to exit, when something caught his eye. It was his grandmother's jewellery box. Severus strode over to it and opened it. There in the box sat his grandparent's wedding rings. White gold, elven made. His grandmother's ring was simple and beautiful, a wreath of roses, with emeralds as leaves and thorns, and rubies for the roses. He grabbed it out, and also took his grandfather's wedding band out. The band was simple, with a single tiny ruby rose in the centre. It would suffice. Severus shut the vault, and climbed back into the carriage. He handed the rings to Lucius. "Act as best man, would you?" he asked.

Lucius smiled and nodded at his old friend. "Of course."

* * *

Albus was waiting outside the change rooms of a muggle shop called 'Topshop' as Meg tried on yet another ensemble. He checked his watch. 20 minutes till the met Severus and they still had to get shoes.

"Meg? Are you done yet?"Albus called.

"Yeah. This is the one." Meg came out of the change rooms wearing a short white dress, that was pleated on one side of the skirt, and had only one sleeve. Why couldn't she just wear robes? Muggles dressed strangely. Meg was looking at a pair of white tights. "And I think I need these, and just a pair of silver pumps and then I'll be done."

Albus silently thanked Merlin as the blonde girl went and paid for the dress at the counter. Ten minutes later, shoes had been purchased, and Meg went off to the bathrooms to get dressed. Albus walked over to a florist to buy Meg some flowers, and decided on a bunch of happy loking daisies. Meg emerged, and Albus had to admit that she looked glorious, and told her so. Meg blushed at the compliment and grinned when her presented her with the flowers.

"Thank you, Albus! And thank you for coming shopping with me." Meg gushed.

They reached St Mungo's, and as they walked to the chapel, they were greeted by a flash from Colin Creevey's camera.

"Thanks, Colin." Meg said.

"Um, Professor Snape and the guests are waiting for you, if you'd like to start." Colin said nervously.

"Guests? Who else is in there, Colin?" Meg asked.

"Um, The Malfoys, and the Zabini's. And Harry Potter went in there a few moments ago." Colin said, and went into the chapel, to tell overyone thye were here and to take up his position.

"Ok. Is it ok those people are in there?" Meg asked Albus.

"Oh yes. Its perfectly alright, my dear. Now, are you ready?" He replied.

Meg could only nod now, she was so nervous.

Some music began playing as the doors to the chapel opened, and Meg walked in with Albus at her side. Meg kept remindng herself that she had to act happy. She was supposed to love Severus, remember? Severus was standing in the same clothes he had been wearing before, sans robe, and he still looked good. Meg at least had that as a condolence. Lucius Malfoy, Meg assumed, was the man standing beside Severus. As Albus broke off from her, and went to sit beside a dark haired boy with glasses, presumably Harry Potter himself, Meg went to stand with Severus. The side of the chapel Severus was standing on had a few people seated, while Meg's side had only Harry and Albus. Severus had his friend standing with him, and Meg found herself missing Maxxie. As if sensing her lonliness, an elegant blonde lady, possibly Narcissa Malfoy stood, and went over to stand by Meg's side, as Lucius was doing with Severus. Meg gave the woman a grateful smile. Soon, a small balding man began th ceremony.

"Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of these two people. Marriage is a sacred union, not to be taken lightly, or without due thought. Therefore, if anyone should have any objection to this union, speak now, or forever hold your peace." Silence reigned throughout the tiny chapel. "Very well." The tiny chaplain continued.

"And now for the vows." The man guestured to Severus. "Please repeat after me. 'I, Severus Snape, do solemnly swear to take Megan Doultrey as my lawfully and magically wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do us part.'" Severus repeated everything the small man said in that Guinness-y voie of his, playing the role of loving very-soon-to-be husband well. Meg almost believed him, and gave him a happy smile. The small man turned to Meg now, and had her repeat the same thing (with a few obvious changes), which she did a wavering voice, that to her was nerves, but to anone else would have been pure emotion. Narcissa beside her looked close to tears.

Soon it was time for the exchangiv of the rings. Severus looked to Lucius, and the blonde man pulled the rings from his pocket, and handed them to Severus. All the while Colin was snapping away. When Severus went to slip the ring onto Meg's left hand, Meg gasped at the ring and its beauty. Severus felt a small smile flicker onto his face, glad he could make the young girl happy at least with this. Everyone was watching as Meg slipped the matching ring onto Severus's hand, and Raoul Zabini commented to his wife Carolina how good the couple looked together. Colin had lost his inhibitions as he snapped away, capturing the moment forever on film. Then the small chaplain said the words "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Meg and Severus stepped together, and Severus leant down to place a soft kiss on Meg's lips. "Sorry." He whispered, no one but Meg hearing. Meg shook her head at him and kissed him on the cheek.

The newly married couple turned to face the tiny crowd of people that had come to see Severus marry, and the crowd swarmed around them, giving them many congratulations and hugs. Then the adrenaline and nerves left Meg, and the reality of the situation hit her. She was married. She was a wife. Oh God.


	5. Chapter 5

Severus noticed just in time that his young wife was looking dangerously pale, and he managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

With Lucius' help he managed to have her resting in a pew as she came around again.

"Meg? Are you alright?"

"Poor dear. It must have been too much for her."

"I have some water for her."

Meg heard the concerned voices through the sound of the blood rushing through her ears.

"What happened?" Her voice sounded weaker than usual.

"You fainted, Meg. Here, drink this slowly." She felt a glass of water being held to her lips, and as she sipped, the significance of that dark, smooth voice came back to her. She groaned.

"I fainted at my own wedding. What a moron." The water was bringing her back to her normal self. The mixed up, still somewhat in shock part of her was still there, gnawing away anxiously at its fingernails, but she also knew that letting the ball drop at this point was very dangerous.

"Meg, you're hardly a moron. Now, can you stand up?" Severus (her husband) asked her.

"I think so." Meg said, as she swung her feet off the pew onto the floor. Her head spun dramatically. "Oh, hang on. One more minute."

"Severus! Don't rush the poor girl!" said Narcissa Malfoy.

Meg worked on steadying her heart rate, ignoring the voices around her. Her head had definitely stopped spinning now, and she was feeling steadier now, thanks to the water Severus was force-feeding her.

"Ok. Better now." She said, and she grasped Severus shoulder as she made it to a full upright standing position. She went to take a step forward, to pick up her bouquet of daisies, which appeared to be a little trampled after the drama of her fainting. Severus held her back. "Perhaps you should take off those shoes, before you try walking."

Meg blinked at him in incomprehension, before she realised that the silver pumps she was wearing were sporting a rather deadly looking stiletto heel. "Oh. Nah, It'll be alright."

Severus tightened his grip on her arm. "Meg. You just fainted. I fail to see how you'll manage to walk in those shoes at a time like this." Meg had to say this for him: The man was a good actor. The complete contrast between the look of indifference she'd seen on his face in the Leaky Cauldron and the loving concern she saw now was stark.

Still, she shook off his hand, and marched gracefully over to her poor trodden flowers. "Sev, I've worn less comfortable, less safe shoes than this before. And I was in worse states than this while I was wearing them. There's no danger. Plus, I feel fine now. Really. Just got a little overwhelmed. Don't worry."

She marched over to her stoic husband and saw from the look on his face that he was still convinced that she was going to topple over at any given moment.

Right. Time to really test her acting chops.

"Severus. Look at me. I'm fine. Healthy as a… healthy thing. So don't stress." And she raised her hand to stroke his cheek in a soothing way that she'd seen Cass do to Sid a million times. Still a quick kiss on his lips finished her wifely reassurance thing off.

"Now." She turned to the other people at the wedding, who she assumed were friends of Severus's. She assumed the blondes were the Malfoy's, based on their appearance and the obvious aura of power and wealth emanating from them, but she had no idea who the Hispanic looking family were. "I'm Meg. Hi. Thanks for coming to the wedding." She held out her hand to Lucius Malfoy, who was closest. The blonde man reached out and gallantly kissed the back of her hand. "Lucius Malfoy. This is my wife Narcissa, and my son Draco. A pleasure to meet you Meg. And as for attending the wedding, well, Severus and I have been friends practically since infancy. It was good to be able to see him get married."

Draco smirked. "Plus, the ensuing drama was fun."

Narcissa gasped and reprimanded her only son. "Draco! Where are your manners?"

Meg smiled. "No, its ok. I understand completely. What's a wedding without the bride fainting?"

Draco and Meg both snickered a little at the look on Narcissa's face at that.

Meg felt bad however, and continued. "Still, thanks so much for the support while the ceremony was happening. All my friends are muggles, and other than Severus and Albus, I don't really know anyone magical."

"Anytime dear. I was happy to help." Narcissa smiled at Meg.

The big Hispanic man stepped forward and extended his hand in greeting. "Raoul Zabini. Nice to meet you, Meg. This is my son Blaise." Raoul was a tall man, but he was also broad. He looked to be a man who spent a lot of time outdoors, and when Meg shook his hand, they were rough and calloused, practically the opposite of Lucius' refined, well-manicured hands.

Blaise had inherited his father's height, but none of his brawn He appeared to be a gentle boy, more down to earth than refined. His "Nice to meet you" was soft spoken.

"Nice to meet you both. Are you friends of Severus's too?" Meg asked.

Raoul replied in his booming voice. "I fell in with Severus and Lucius at school. Poor bastards haven't been able to shake me off since then."

"More's the pity." Said Lucius, inspecting his nails haughtily.

"Shut up, Luc." Said Raoul, and playfully punched Lucius in the arm. Lucius laughed it off, but Meg suspected it hurt a lot more than he let on, judging by the way Lucius kept rubbing the spot where he'd been hit.

Meg laughed at their antics, and was interrupted by a tap on her shoulder. She turned and saw her Grandfather. She smiled at him, and gave the old man a hug.

"Thanks so much for your help, Albus. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."

Albus returned the hug. "Anytime, my dear, anytime." As he released her from the hug, Albus ushered forward none other than Harry Potter.

"Meg, this is Harry Potter. Harry, this is Megan Snape. Formerly Megan Doultrey."

"Pleasure." Harry said.

"Nice to meet you too." Meg said, a bit taken aback at how sullen Harry was acting, especially as he'd been the one to sneak in uninvited to her wedding, even if the wedding wasn't exactly an honest one, he wasn't to know that.

"Potter, what are you doing here?" Severus had stepped forward and he was glaring unabashedly at Harry.

"Sorry sir. I saw Colin here, and he said that Professor Dumbledore was going to be here."

"So you crashed my wedding." Severus was still glaring.

"I didn't realise, sir." Harry said, although he was obviously lying.

"Nonsense. Wasn't it obvious enough for you, Potter? And you decide after gatecrashing my wedding that you should be rude not only to your teacher, but to the bride?"

"Sorry, Sir." Harry said, glaring straight back at Severus.

Meg decided now would be a good time to intervene. "Severus, it doesn't matter. Really. Leave it."

Severus looked like he was going to say more.

"Sev." Meg said warningly.

Severus took a deep breath, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Meg." He said in return.

Meg rolled her eyes, and turned to face Harry. "Now, Harry. I assume you wanted to see Albus about something. So I suggest you go speak to him now, and then leave, before you start a fight at my wedding."

Harry turned and walked over to Albus without saying another word.

Meg stared at the boy as he walked away, now feeling the beginnings of dislike towards the saviour of the Wizarding World. She turned to face Severus again, and he was standing with Lucius and Raoul. She walked over to him and took his hand.

He turned to face her. "You are too forgiving for your own good."

"Forgiving? Hardly. You're forgetting that I'm going to be living at Hogwarts with you. I'm pretty sure I can make things fairly uncomfortable for him there." She gave her husband a dazzling smile, and he couldn't help smiling back at her. Well, not so much a smile as a turning up of the lips, but still. "Ah. I remember why I married you now."

Meg smiled even wider at him now. "Don't forget again." She stood once more on her tiptoes to kiss him, as even in heels, he was considerably taller than her. This kiss was a bit deeper than the first couple, as, believe it or not, she was getting used to the idea of kissing the dark, enigmatic man whenever she liked. She might not love him, but he was certainly very attractive, and his personality wasn't as bad as she had first imagined.

After a very pleasant lunch and a few drinks at a nearby restaurant, the wedding party decided that a spot of shopping was necessary. Well, Meg had basically decided that she wasn't waiting any longer to get a wand, after Draco and Blaise (who Meg had gotten along with quite well) began teasing her about her lack of a wand. But before any wand shopping could be done, Albus had to unmask Meg's magic.

The process was deceptively simple, but the effects of having all her magic released at once varied, according to the amount of power being released. The most drastic thing that could happen, Albus assured her, was that perhaps some windows might break.

They went back to that private room in the Leaky Cauldron that Meg had been introduced to Severus in, although it seemed much smaller, with the extra people present.

Meg had changed out of her wedding dress, and was back in her blue jeans, and a floaty white top, as Narcissa insisted that it was still her wedding reception, and she had to look still somewhat bridal. Albus suggested she sit when he performed the spell on her, and now she was sitting cross-legged on the table in the centre of the room, eyes closed, breathing deeply.

She could tell the moment the spell had been cast, because a warmth seemed to be spreading from some unknown place in the core of her body, filling her from head to toe, and then some. She could feel the moment the warmth overflowed, and went spilling about the room too. Her ears were filled with a strange pulsing sound, and she felt as though she were floating somewhat, even after the warmth had stopped growing. She suddenly felt all the warmth snap back into her body, not hidden in the same place as before, as she could still feel it floating around her body, but it no longer overwhelmed all her senses. She suddenly was aware of where she was, and the people who were calling her name again.

"Meg? Are you ok?" She heard Severus' voice close by her, and she opened her eyes to see where he was. She saw him standing by her side, his eyes filled with concern. Once again she noted how good his acting was.

"Meg. Are you alright?" he repeated.

"Of course I'm ok. That was kind of a rush." Meg said, and smiled at the man she was married to.

"Meg. Look at your hand." Severus said with exasperation.

Meg looked at her left hand and saw that the table had splintered at some stage during her magic's release, and that a large wedge of tabletop had embedded itself in her palm, which was now dripping blood steadily.

"Oh. Would you look at that?" Meg said. Now that she had noticed to wound, it began to sting and pulse, and she realised that it actually hurt a lot. "Ow."

Severus helped Meg off the ruined table and he sat her on the seat Draco had vacated for her. Meg was now trying hard not to cry. Severus knelt by her chair, and took her hand.

"I have to get the wood out. It will hurt. I'm sorry." He said.

Meg sniffed, and tried to sound cheery. "Your bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired." She flinched and winced as he extracted a particularly deep bit of wood.

"In my defence, you're not in a bed." Severus said wryly, trying to take Meg's mind off the wound.

"Well, not at the moment. But if you'd try a bit harder.." Meg blushed, as she remembered a few things. 1: Her grandfather, and others were present. 2: The man she was speaking to, while her husband, was not in love with her. Not even in like with her, probably. In fact, he probably detested her. Still, he managed to act as though the innuendo hadn't fazed him.

"All in due time, Meg. Have patience." Severus removed the last splinter of wood from her hand, and sat back, smirking at her, as she blushed harder.

"Shut up. Just fix my hand." She mock glared at him. His smirk grew. Nevertheless, he healed her hand within a few moments, and once the gaping cut had been healed completely, Severus placed a gentle kiss on her hand before he dropped it and stood. "Better now?"

"Yes. Thank you. Now. Shall we go?" Meg said with all the dignity she could muster, and she strode out of the room without looking back. Everyone else in the room looked at Severus for his reaction, but he was trying hard not to laugh at his wife's antics. When Albus had suggested this faux-marriage, Severus was sure it would mean a life of misery and hardship. But, if today was anything to go by, then perhaps it wouldn't be as hard as he first thought. Still, it was one thing to say that after a day, not even, and other people surrounded them. When it was just the two of them in Severus's, well, in _their _quarters, things could be quite different.

He began to walk after his young wife, when he saw that she had forgotten her bag in her haste to leave the room. He chuckled, picked it up off the table where she had left it, and left a few galleons behind to pay for the repairs to the table. Lucius and Raoul caught up to him and began to walk with him.

Severus caught sight of their faces and knew they were about to start something.

"What now?" he asked them.

"Who? Us?" Raoul tried to look innocent. Not easy on a 7-foot tall Spaniard.

"Why Severus, we're your friends. Why are you so suspicious of us?" Lucius asked.

Severus rolled his eyes, and stopped walking. "Because I know you. Now, make your comments quickly, because that wife of mine is probably about to march down Knockturn alley unarmed, knowing her."

"Yes. That wife of yours. She's quite a handful, isn't she?" Lucius smirked. But before he could say anything else, Narcissa smacked him on the back of the head.

"Lucius! She's a perfectly charming girl, and I think they're wonderful together! I for one am just glad that Severus has met someone who isn't easily intimidated. Now I will not hear another word said against her. Yes Lucius, even in jest. Now, lets go buy the poor girl a wand."

Narcissa grabbed her husband by the arm and marched off with him in tow.

"Speaking of wives that are a handful…" Raoul whispered to Severus, who snickered quietly, and the two walked on.

Meg had been standing in the street, breathing deeply, trying to overcome the deep embarrassment that had overcome her upstairs, when a hand had grabbed her bum. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Meg yelled, and turned to face the perpetrator. She saw a large, ugly man with dark hair and dark eyes leering at her with a grotesque, perverted smile on his face.

"What do you expect? A lovely little thing like you standing here all alone.." the man said.

"What? Cos I'm standing on the street its ok for you to accost me? Screw you!" Meg yelled at him. A few people had turned towards the commotion by this point.

"How dare you speak to me like that? You little whore!" the man yelled at her, and he pulled his wand out and pointed it at her. Meg froze. The man laughed menacingly. "What? Why don't you try and take me on, tramp? You seemed to think you were brave enough a minute ago! Get your wand out!"

Meg was silent.

"Well? Slut? WHORE!" The man continued yelling profanities at her. "Get your wand out!"

"I… I don't have one.." Meg said quietly.

"What was that?" The man asked tauntingly. By now a crowd had gathered, but none of them made a move to help.

"I don't have a wand." Meg said loudly.

"Oh! A MUGGLE whore! Then you deserve what you get!" the man laughed, and began to curse her. The curse went unfinished, as multiple voices calling "Stupefy!" sounded in the air, and the man fell with a loud thud.

Meg turned to see who had come to her rescue, and saw that it had been Albus, Draco, Blaise, Raoul, Narcissa, Lucius and Severus who had simultaneously cursed the man. Albus and Severus looked angrier than Meg had ever seen someone in her life.

She stood there in shock, unable to make a move. Severus took a step towards her, which broke her stupor, and caused a low sob to escape from her. Suddenly she ran towards her husband in tears, burying herself in his chest. She felt his arms wrap tightly around her, and she began to feel safe again. She was entirely aware that while this marriage was only to protect her from Voldemort, she knew that Severus would keep her safe. She felt protected around him, which was entirely the point of the marriage. But that wasn't all. The safety was one thing, but she felt a strange attachment to Severus that she hadn't noticed until she ran into his arms. It was a strange pulling in her gut that only relaxed when she was near him. It was unexplainable, like an actual physical link between her and her protector. It soothed her now that he was holding her, and she was soon calmed down entirely. She didn't notice what was going on around her until Severus physically picked her up and carried her away from the crowd.

"Meg? Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" Severus was asking concernedly, holding her out at arms length now that she was able to stand on her own, and inspecting her for any injuries.

"I'm ok Sev. I was so scared. He grabbed me and I yelled at him and then he yelled back and pulled out his wand and I couldn't do anything and no one was helping me but they were all watching and…" Meg choked back another sob.

"Its ok now, Meg. It's all over. Everything is all right now. Although you seem to have no luck in this world. Anything that can go wrong does go wrong with you involved. Are you ok?" Severus pulled her in for another hug, stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her down.

Meg took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm ok now. Just a bit shook up."

Severus nodded and kissed the top of her head. Meg stepped back and looked at him, for the first time that day breaking the act they were both masterfully weaving. "How are you so good at acting like you actually care about me?"

Severus raised an eyebrow at her question. " I was a spy for the entire duration of the first war, so I'm. Not to mention, you are actually my wife. I treat you as I would treat anyone, were they my wife. And you are under my protection, so I will do my utmost to protect you."

Meg nodded. "Yeah, I know, but what I meant was how are you so good at acting like you love me?"

Severus was silent for a moment as he thought about how to answer that question, and as he was about to open his mouth to speak, they were interrupted by the return of their friends.

"Meg? Are you alright?" Narcissa came over and began fussing over Meg. "Oh, come with me you poor girl. We'll get you cleaned up." And she pulled Meg into a female bathroom in the Leaky Cauldron.

Severus turned to face Albus. "Damage control?"

Albus nodded. "Everything's fine. We managed to obliviate the bystanders, and MacNair, and he's been safely delivered to the Auror's office. Lucius has taken him now."

Severus nodded. "And how is Lucius's cover?"

"Intact. How is Meg?" Albus asked.

"She's alright now. She was scared, naturally. She seems to attract trouble. If things keep going like this, I'll be working round the clock trying to keep her safe."

Albus smiled. "But I trust no other to this task. You'll do a fine job of it, I'm sure." Albus leant forward and whispered "And I just wanted to say that I'm impressed by both of you today. Very convincing."

Severus rolled his eyes at the old man. Meg and Narcissa had re emerge from the bathroom, Meg looking flawless one again. She gave him a smile and took his hand.

"Ok. Now that the trouble's over, can we please go buy a wand?"


	6. Chapter 6

Meg, Draco and Blaise were all chatting happily ahead of the others when they entered Ollivander's. "Wow." Meg breathed. "Its even cooler than I imagined."

"Don't tell me you've read those books?" Blaise asked her, hiding his smirk more successfully than Draco, who was sniggering behind his hand.

"What's wrong with me reading the books? Name me a teenaged muggle who hasn't!" Meg protested.

Draco rolled his eyes, and was about to retort when someone who could only be Mr Ollivander came into the room. "I thought I heard someone out here. Master Malfoy, Master Zabini. How are you today? And who is your friend?" Ollivander looked Meg over with his creepy pale blue eyes, and she suppressed the urge to shiver.

The door behind them opened, and Severus, Albus and Raoul entered the room. "Mr Ollivander." They inclined their heads in greeting.

Mr Ollivander replied. "Mr Snape. Mr Zabini."

Draco turned to the newcomers. "Where did my parents go?"

"They were called away on business. You're to stay at the Zabini's tonight." Severus said. Draco nodded once, stoically; obviously realising just what business his parents had been called away on. By this time Ollivander had turned his attentions back on Meg, who unconsciously took a step back.

"I'm Megan Snape. Meg. Hi." She said nervously. She held her hand out for the old man to shake. He merely peered at her with his creepy eyes.

"Snape eh? And how are you a Snape? I must say, you don't look like any Snape I ever saw." His eyes were now flickering between Severus and Meg, as though the answer to their relation would be written on their faces.

"She's my wife, Mr Ollivander." Severus spoke up, standing by Meg in a small show of solidarity.

"I see. How curious. Well, after a wand are we, Mrs Snape?" Mr Ollivander asked. Meg nodded nervously, and her hand unconsciously found Severus's.

"Very well then. This will be interesting indeed. Wand arm out." The creepy old man ordered. Meg hesitantly released her hand from Severus' reassuring grasp, and held her right hand out. Then the very same animated tape measure flew out of nowhere and began to measure every measurable part of Meg's body, as Mr Ollivander speedily recorded them.

"Quite old to be getting a first wand.. Factor in the age.." Mr Ollivander was muttering to himself. Meg turned to see what the others were doing, and she saw them watching the proceedings distractedly as they chatted amongst themselves. Draco caught her glance and he stuck his tongue out at Meg, and she returned the gesture, while the tape measure flew up to measure the length, width and breadth of her tongue. Draco practically collapsed into a heap of giggles at that. Once the measuring was over, they finally got to the elimination round, as Meg began to think of it, as it seemed she tried practically every wand in the store. The others were watching with more interest now.

"Holly. 12 inches, Whippy. Unicorn Hair." Ollivander snatched the wand away just as quickly as he'd passed it to her.

"Yew. 10 inches. No, nonsense. Oak. 15 and a half inches. Phoenix feather. Springy." This one set poor Raoul's cloak on fire. "I'm so sorry!" Meg was horrified and threw the wand onto the counter.

Draco and Blaise could hardly contain their laughter. "Shut Up, you two!" Meg glared at them.

They tried countless wands, none of which seemed to do any good. Mr Ollivander was silent for a good few moments before he ducked behind his desk and appeared to disappear.

"What is going on?" Meg walked over to Severus, and perched herself on his lap, as there seemed to be no more seats, and the floor was now covered in ash, feathers, and other random debris.

"To be honest, I've never spent so long with someone looking for a wand." Severus said.

"So I'm a freak then?" Meg asked, a smile playing at the edges of her mouth.

"Well yeah, but we already knew that." Draco said, smirking.

"Yeah, coming from you, Malfoy." Meg said, smirking back.

"Oh, you wound me with your words, _Snape_." Draco said dramatically.

At that moment Mr Ollivander returned with his arms full of very ornate, old looking boxes. "These are some of the most ancient wands I have, Mrs Snape. They are combinations that aren't used very widely anymore, and are known to be volatile, so be careful where you point them, when you try them out. Although I must say, this is the most fun I've had in a long while. Here. Elder, 12 inches, Sphinx hair. Careful." Meg barely glanced at the wand before it burnt the flowers that were displayed near the window.

"Oh god!" Meg hung her head in defeat.

"Don't be disheartened! There is always the right wand for everyone in the world!" Mr Ollivander was practically skipping from one box to another. "Here! I think this may be the one! Rosewood, 14 inches, Thestral Talon core. Very resilient wand. Give it a wave!" Meg grasped the wand, and she felt the same warmth that she had felt above the Leaky Cauldron spread from her hand. She gave the wand a wave, and it cleared the floor of any signs of destruction.

"Oh. How convenient." Meg smiled happily, now that the ordeal of wand choosing appeared to be over.

"Excellent! Quite excellent! Rosewood for the feminine, and Thestral for the unexpected! How did I not realise before?" Mr Ollivander was on cloud 9 now, beaming at everyone in the store. "Thank you, my dear girl! I haven't had a challenge like that since Elena Hubert brought that Chilean boy into the store in 1763!"

Mr Ollivander wrote the entry into his ledger and smiled again.

Severus stepped forward. "How much do I owe you?"

Mr Ollivander furrowed his brow, as if he'd forgotten that people usually paid money for his services. "Oh, nothing this time, my good man! The thrill of a challenge is enough for this old man! Goodbye to you all! Good luck to you all!" Then Mr Ollivander turned and wandered back amongst the stacks of his store, smiling absentmindedly as he re-shelved all the wands he'd procured for Meg to test.

The group stepped outside the store with a distinct air of relief.

"Well, if I'd known it was going to be that much of an ordeal, I wouldn't have been so enthusiastic about buying a wand." Meg shook her head, and pulled out her new wand to inspect it. It was elegant, obviously designed for a woman, with an intricate flowery pattern inlaid into it with bronze. "Still, it is pretty."

"Still, never ever break or loose that wand. No one wants to go through that again." Blaise said, and Draco nodded wholeheartedly.

"Thanks for the support, Blaise." Meg said wryly. Albus interrupted the banter. "Well, it's been a pleasure, but I'm afraid there's some business that needs attending to elsewhere. Draco, it was wonderful seeing you today. Give my regards to your parents when you see them. Raoul, Blaise, likewise. Severus, Meg, congratulations. I'll see you at the castle in the morning, I presume?"

Once Severus had nodded in the affirmative, Albus gave Meg a hug and apparated away.

Meg turned to her husband. "Sev? Do you have the time?"

"Its 3.30. The shops close in 2 hours. What did you have in mind?" Severus answered.

"Could we, perhaps, go to the Pet Store?" Meg smiled hopefully at him; using the look that got her anything she wanted from the boys back home.

"The Pet store?" Severus raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

Meg looked up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. "Please?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "Merlin save me from women and their pets."

"Yay!" Meg said, and leant up to kiss her husband, less shyly than when her grandfather was present. Severus leant down into the kiss, and wrapped his arm around her waist. It was a really good kiss.

Meg was dimly aware of Draco saying something to Blaise about needing therapy, and decided maybe it was time to stop. She reluctantly pulled out of the kiss, and turned to Draco and poked her tongue out at him.

"Ugh. Put that away I know where it's been." Draco scowled, and looked between Meg and Severus with a dark glare.

They made their way up to the pet store with only a couple of delays, one being Quality Quidditch Supplies, and the other being ice cream from Florean Fortescue's. Once finally in the pet store, however, Meg walked around, seeing what animals the Wizarding world had that the muggle world did not. There were a lot. From dogs with multiple tails, to snails that changed colour. However, she got really attached to a scrawny little kitten that looked just like a little white and grey Siamese, but had a bizarre little purple kitten Mohawk. It was in a compartment with other brightly coloured kittens, from a bright orange and green specked fuzzball, to a strange bald looking thing with a blue tuft of fur at the end of its tail. But the Mohawked one really stole Meg's heart.

"Sev!" Meg called her husband over.

"I assume you've decided then." He said drolly, coming over to see what she'd picked to take home with them. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the kitten she'd picked out, but nonetheless agreed, and summoned an assistant over.  
"The little white and purple one." He said.

The assistant nodded, and popped her gum. "Right. I gotta get the keys."

Severus turned to face his overexcited wife. "I assume you've already got a name picked out?"

Meg grinned up at him. "You know it."

"Well, go on then. Astound me." Severus said, smirking.

"Oscar Z. Acosta." Meg smiled proudly.

"You're not serious?" Severus said, eyebrows once again raised.

"Entirely."

"Meg. No. That's a ludicrous name." Severus said.

Meg saw that some persuasion would be needed.

She sauntered over to her husband, and made sure to press her body fully against his. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a kiss that was downright indecent.

Ten minutes later, she walked out of the store with a little mohawked kitten that sported a brightly gleaming nametag that proudly bore the words 'Oscar Z. Acosta.'

Blaise and Draco were busy snickering at Severus when Meg stopped abruptly in the street.

"What's wrong?" Severus asked her.

"Oh, nothing. I just have no idea where I'm going." Meg smiled sheepishly at him.

Severus smirked. "Right. Well, the shops close in half an hour, and I'm sure Raoul wants to get the boys home.."

"Oh sure. That's exactly it. Its not you wanting to get your pretty new wife home alone on your wedding night or anything.." Raoul egged Severus on.

Blaise smiled at Draco. "Well, can you really blame him?"

Draco smiled at the comment, but there was something about the smile that seemed a little sad. Meg made a mental note to talk to her new friend some more.

But goodbyes were made, and the three men left the newly weds standing in the street.

Silence reigned for a moment. Severus looked at Meg. "Well. Shall we?" he held out his arm, which she took. They apparated to their new home. Together.


End file.
